So i understand that having a 30K poly model in Maya is a bit of an overkill. This is why I am always trying to incorporate Zbrush into my workflow. Using a relatively low poly mesh made in Maya, importing it as .obj into Zbrush seems like a good process for adding high level details into a good edge-looped model. I understand the process of UV unwrapping, normal and displacement map creating between the two programs.

However, my main concern lies elsewhere. I cannot get a grasp on the workflow AFTER the detailing process. So i load my normal and/or disp. map onto the semi-low poly model in Maya, and then what? My question is: Is this mesh ready for animation? Can we make rigging, animation, rendering using normal and displacement maps? Do these maps transform with the base mesh correctly while in the rigging process? Or the animation process?

Im asking this because Im planning on creating a short teaser/animation of 20-30 secs, where the focus should be on very smooth animation, combined with fine levels of caricatural details (I really wish to use Zbrush for this), and texturing/shading/lighting. Could someone explain the workflow AFTER the detailing process..Am is missing something?

Thank you in advance.

Blackshore

09-14-2010, 01:17 PM

So i understand that having a 30K poly model in Maya is a bit of an overkill. This is why I am always trying to incorporate Zbrush into my workflow. Using a relatively low poly mesh made in Maya, importing it as .obj into Zbrush seems like a good process for adding high level details into a good edge-looped model. I understand the process of UV unwrapping, normal and displacement map creating between the two programs.

However, my main concern lies elsewhere. I cannot get a grasp on the workflow AFTER the detailing process. So i load my normal and/or disp. map onto the semi-low poly model in Maya, and then what? My question is: Is this mesh ready for animation? Can we make rigging, animation, rendering using normal and displacement maps? Do these maps transform with the base mesh correctly while in the rigging process? Or the animation process?

Im asking this because Im planning on creating a short teaser/animation of 20-30 secs, where the focus should be on very smooth animation, combined with fine levels of caricatural details (I really wish to use Zbrush for this), and texturing/shading/lighting. Could someone explain the workflow AFTER the detailing process..Am is missing something?

Thank you in advance.

Hi Duajisin,
The main difference between sculpting topology and animation topology is that you need to att more faces where the carecter bends in motion.

Gnomon has a really good tutor on this called: An Overview of Topology in ZBrush.
Buy it.
What you do is that you animate the low-poly version in maya.
Apply the maps afterwards.
Remember to not to go down to far in the low poly mesh, if it's too low the animation will be rough and the zbrush detailing looks ugly.

Normaly I go down 2-4 sub-d levels lower than the high sub-d level in Zbrush.

There is allot of minimal tweaks involved in this process..

Hope this answer helped.

Simple workflow:
Main mesh in maya>Sculpt in Z>Retopo in either maya or Z>Export a medium-level sub-d mesh from Zbrush to maya.>Animate>perhaps some more tweaks to topology>apply maps from Z>done

Duajisin

09-14-2010, 08:26 PM

Thank you for your time,
i am wondering how would that kind of animation look like? Are most animation studios use this process, or they can do whatever they want, bc they can use high poly count characters in their features? Ty ty

Blackshore

09-15-2010, 11:47 AM

Thank you for your time,
i am wondering how would that kind of animation look like? Are most animation studios use this process, or they can do whatever they want, bc they can use high poly count characters in their features? Ty ty

There is no exact way to do this.
Since the pipeline differs from studio to studio.
Sure, you couldwork in highpoly animation aswell.. but it requires allot more hardware during animation. So therefor the lowpoly/mediumpoly is animated.

I saw the production screener of Incredible HULK, they had a lowpoly hulk running around in their scene. Same with wolverine.
I belive you can find the clip on filesharing networks.

Good luck

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